Urban Survival Day 57 – Drive on Black Ice

Another long day today but now the weekend is here. In honor of the weekend I’ve added the 7.62x54r links to my Ammo Availability page. By Sunday I should have all the links up and when that happens I will go through and update what’s available in each group. So hopefully Sunday evening everything will be complete and up to date.

57) Drive on Black Ice

Black ice is a tricky beast. Its invisible and extremely dangerous. Ice completely removes your ability to control your vehicle. You can turn and brake all you want but you wont have anything to show for it. According to Rich Johnson in Urban Survival Guide, here are some suggestions for dealing with black ice:

Stay Home: If the weather is bad and people are reporting black ice on the roads, its probably best to just stay home. If you can’t however, make sure you are extremely cautious.

Go With The Flow: Since your vehicle will be unresponsive its best to just ride it out. Slamming on the brakes will only compound things. Refer to yesterday’s tip, Get Out of a Skid, for more tips on how to handle a skid.

Buckle Up: Always wear a seat belt . . . especially when the weather is bad. If you lose control of your vehicle, you might end up needing it.

Black ice is a serious matter and you should always avoid driving over it when possible. A few years ago, on the way to school, I watched a truck do a complete 360 behind me when it hit the patch of black ice that I was lucky enough to avoid. Luckily the driver was unharmed and came to a stop while still on the pavement. It could’ve been a lot worse and we both should have been going a great deal slower. I was very lucky.